Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 March (HL2717), whether they will specifically raise with the government of Pakistan why Ahmadi Muslims were not included on the single electoral list with all other voters in the recent elections in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the inclusivity of the elections and the rights of religious minorities. We will continue to raise human rights issues affecting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in engagements with the new government and reaffirm the importance of Pakistan respecting the voting rights of all religious communities.

Pakistan: Ahmadiyya

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan regarding attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns the continued persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan and this is regularly raised in our meetings with the Pakistani authorities. On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. I raised attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October in 2023. On 7 March, the UK formally registered concerns with the Pakistan High Commission, condemning all incidents of hate speech directed towards Ahmadi Muslims, the desecration of Ahmadi mosques, and violence against Ahmadi individuals. In my letter to the newly-appointed Human Rights Minister in March, I underlined the UK's commitment to protecting religious minorities and urged the government of Pakistan to condemn any instances of hate directed towards Ahmadi Muslims and other marginalised religious communities.

Hong Kong: Pensions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to impose sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee for his role in the development of the proposed Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong; and whether they will make representations to HSBC and Standard Chartered to allow Hong Kongers to access to their Mandatory Provident Fund.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British Nationals (Overseas) Visa (BN(O)) route are having difficulties in accessing their pensions held in the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF). Financial institutions operating in Hong Kong do so within a strict legal and regulatory framework. British officials in Hong Kong have raised this directly with the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong MPF Schemes Authority and will continue to do so. We have also raised the issue with trustee HSBC directly. We will continue to urge the Hong Kong authorities and all relevant bodies to facilitate early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. We continue to keep sanctions designations under review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions measures as to do so could reduce their impact.

Hong Kong: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the alignment of the proposed Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international laws and standards; and what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the legislation on British National (Overseas) visa holders, in particular the six exiled Hong Kongers in the UK with arrest warrants and HK$1 million bounties who might be considered “absconders” under the new security legislation.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Hong Kong is required to ensure that national security legislation complies with international standards and upholds rights and freedoms, as set out in the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, and international law. The future application of the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, implemented under Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, enacted on 23 March is likely incompatible with international human rights law and will have a negative impact on the people of Hong Kong in the exercise of their rights and freedoms. That is why the Foreign Secretary on 19 March urged the Hong Kong authorities to respect rights and freedoms and act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations. As the Foreign Secretary said on 14 December 2023, we will not tolerate any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK.

Israel: Arms Trade

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised with the government of the United States the number of weapons packages to Israel it has approved since October 2023; and whether these include (1) precision-guided munitions, (2) small-diameter bombs, (3) bunker busters, (4) small arms, and (5) other lethal aid.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The US has its own domestic export licensing criteria and processes. We have been clear that all parties to the conflict in Gaza must respect International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians. We have regular engagement with our allies, included the US, on the conflict.

Jimmy Lai

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the call made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture on 8 March that Hong Kong and China investigate the admission of evidence allegedly obtained by torture in the trial of Jimmy Lai, and (2) the statement by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC that evidence which appears to have been procured by torture may be used in proceedings against Jimmy Lai.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 8 March the UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), UN and Other International Organisations (Geneva) highlighted the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture's comments and noted the allegation that some evidence to be used to prosecute Jimmy Lai had been obtained through the torture of Andy Li. Article 15 of the Convention against Torture, which China has ratified, prohibits the use of statements established to have been made as a result of torture in court proceedings. We are clear that no evidence gained via torture can be valid evidence.

Treasury

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the UK canapply any duty rate on alcoholic beverages in Northern Ireland which are below the EU minimum rate.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The same alcohol duty rates apply across the whole UK. The new alcohol duty system was implemented on 1 August 2023 and moves all alcohol to taxation by strength for the first time. The rates were set at the right level to support businesses and meet public health objectives. We have implemented these broad reforms across the whole of the UK: taxation by strength, Draught Relief, and Small Producer Relief. This was impossible in Northern Ireland under the original Protocol. The Windsor Framework secured substantive, legally binding changes to ensure that Northern Ireland benefits from the same VAT and alcohol taxes as apply in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Economic Growth

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that the economy returned to growth in January after entering a recession in the second half of 2023, what steps they are taking to (1) support, and (2) sustain positive momentum in, sectors of the economy which have shown signs of growth in 2024.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government is pursuing an ambitious policy agenda to increase growth and productivity across the economy. This includes making full expensing permanent, a tax cut to companies of over £10 billion a year, to ensure the UK has one of the most generous capital allowances regimes in the world and backing the UK’s priority growth sectors. At Spring Budget 2024, the government set out the next steps in delivering a £4.5 billion funding package for strategic manufacturing sectors over the five years to 2030 and announced over £1 billion of new tax reliefs for creative industries. The IMF forecasts that the UK will have the third fastest cumulative growth in the G7 over the 2024-2028 period and the OBR expects that policies announced in the previous three fiscal events will increase the size of the economy by 0.7% by 2028-29.

Pay: Inflation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they areconsidering to mitigate the potential inflationary effects of the increase in the National Living Wage and the National MinimumWage.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In March 2020 the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that meeting the National Living Wage target of 2/3rds of median earnings by 2024 would increase the level of consumer price inflation by less than 0.1 per cent across that period. Evidence shows employers respond to minimum wage increases in a variety of ways, most commonly by absorbing the additional cost and accepting lower profits. Inflation reduces real incomes, creates uncertainty, and slows economic growth. It’s essential that the government continues with its efforts to keep inflation down. Inflation has more than halved, falling from its peak of 11.1% in October 2022 to 3.4% in February. The OBR forecasts that inflation will return to the 2% target in the second quarter of this year, a year earlier than forecast in November.

Individual Savings Accounts

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the launch of the British ISA announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement on 6 March.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: At Spring Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced the creation of a UK ISA. Alongside this, the Government published a consultation seeking responses on the policy design and implementation. The consultation closes on 6th June 2024, after which we will consider responses and next steps.

Foreign Investment in UK

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 2 March concerning the requirement by 2027 for pension funds to disclose how much they invest in British businesses, what steps they are taking to assessthe potential consequenceson overall competitiveness and attractiveness of the UK as an investment destination.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Chancellor announced at Spring Budget that the government will introduce new requirements for Defined Contribution pension funds to disclose publicly their level of UK equity investments, working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) who share responsibility for setting requirements for the market. The FCA will consult in the Spring. The government will introduce equivalent requirements for Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England & Wales. The government will review what further action should be taken if the data does not demonstrate that UK equity allocations are increasing. This complements the wider reforms that the Government and regulators are already undertaking to boost UK markets.

Inflation: Employment and Pay

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports thatpublic expectations for inflation have fallen to the lowest level in over two years, what assessment they have made of the impact of falling expectations on(1) wage growth trends, and (2) employment dynamics; and what steps they are taking to address any potential challenges in sustaining wage growth while maintaining price stability.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Inflation has more than halved, falling from its peak of 11.1% in October 2022 to 3.4% in February 2024 and nominal whole economy total pay has fallen from a peak of 8.9% in the three months to June to 5.6% in the three months to January 2024.In the three months to January 2024 the unemployment rate was 3.9%, up by 0.1ppt on the year but low by historical standards. The OBR forecast that there will be a moderate rise in unemployment to a peak of 4.5% in Q4 2024 before declining to 4.1% by 2028.Whilst inflation has fallen it still remains above the 2% target. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) continues to have the government’s full support as it takes action to sustainably return it to target.

Financial Services: Compensation

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the systemic impact from the Financial Conduct Authority’s crackdown on wealth management services under the Consumer Duty; what estimate they have made of the likely total compensation that will need to be paid by wealth management firms; and what other areas of the financial sector they expect to be impacted by the Consumer Duty.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Requirements regarding financial adviser ongoing services started in 2013 following the Retail Distribution Review, with additional requirements resulting from the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive in 2018.In February, the FCA wrote to a number of financial adviser firms requesting information about their delivery of ongoing services, for which their clients continue to be charged. The FCA is collecting this information to assess what, if any, further regulatory work it may undertake in this area.The FCA’s new Consumer Duty seeks to set a higher and clearer standard of care that firms owe their customers. The FCA is an independent non-governmental body and is responsible for determining the application of the relevant rules. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Consumer Duty rules, as they bed in and as industry becomes more familiar with them.

State Retirement Pensions: British National (Overseas)

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will allow British National (Overseas) visa holders to voluntarily pay up to 15 years' worth of Class 3 national insurance contributions towards a state pension, in cases where such visa holders have been denied access to theirMandatory Provident Fund pension savings by HSBC.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: British National Overseas individuals who live or work abroad (or have previously) are usually able to make backdated voluntary National Insurance contributions payments for the previous six tax years where they have either previously lived in the UK for three years in a row or paid at least three years of contributions. For the tax years 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 the government has extended the deadline for paying voluntary contributions to 5 April 2025. The deadline has also been extended to 5 April 2025 for eligible customers to pay voluntary contributions for the tax years 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016. Further guidance on the eligibility and deadlines for making voluntary contributions, including for those living or working abroad is published online at https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions(opens in a new tab). The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Northern Ireland Office

Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government which department will answer questions on matters relating to the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024.

Lord Caine: Consistent with responsibility for the Windsor Framework, the Cabinet Office is responsible for the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 overall. Any matters relating to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland or devolution would be for the Northern Ireland Office to answer.

Home Office

Shoplifting

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the loss to the UK economy because of shoplifting for each of the last three years.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had withpolice forces in England and Wales about their response to shoplifting, in the light of the Retail Crime Action Plan.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Retailers Against Crime on the rise in organised shoplifting.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting and violence towards shopworkers has on businesses, communities, and consumers, as well as the loss to the economy. The Government has been clear we expect a zero-tolerance approach to retail crime and shoplifting.It’s difficult to produce reliable estimates of the cost of shoplifting. Many incidents do not come to the attention of the police, so data on the number of shoplifting crimes recorded by them only provide a partial picture. While official statistics from the Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) provide reliable estimates of the prevalence and frequency of shoplifting, the CVS no longer collects data the number of shoplifting offences or the overall cost of these crimes. When the CVS has collected this information in the past, retailers found it difficult to recall precise numbers of crimes they experienced, and the associated costs. As a result, these estimates we judged to be insufficiently reliable.Home Office ministers have not met Retail Against Crime. The National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), which the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, the Rt Hon Chris Philp, co-chairs alongside the British Retail Consortium, ensures the response to retail crime is as robust as it can be. The NRCSG meets quarterly and comprises senior representatives from policing, the retail sector, retail trade associations, security providers and Government departments.At this forum, the Retail Crime Action Plan is a standing agenda item. At the last NRCSG, policing colleagues updated me on the implementation of the plan. Statistics published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council show early signs of progress. A dip-sample of data from 31 police forces of over 1,500 crimes show police attended 60% of incidents reported by retailers where violence had been used, with 16% of forces sampled reporting 100% attendance to this type of incident.The Government is supporting Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership, which involves retailers providing data, intelligence and evidence to Opal, the national police intelligence unit on organised acquisitive crime, to develop a better strategic picture and help forces crack down on serious offenders.The Home Office will continue to work with members of the NRCSG, including policing and retailers to tackle shoplifting, including organised, as well as other crime experienced within retail settings through our wider work.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Lord Trees: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Animal Welfare Committee reportOpinion on the welfare implications of different methods and systems for the catching, carrying, collecting and loading of poultry, published in March 2023, whether they have any plans to introduce the recommendation contained in that report to amend the law so that "it is legally permitted to lift chickens, and turkeys weighing less than 10-kg, by two legs".

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Animal Welfare Committee Opinion on the welfare implications of different methods and systems for the catching, carrying, collecting and loading of poultry was published in February 2024. We are carefully considering its findings before deciding on next steps and are working with the Welsh and Scottish Governments to ensure a consistent approach across Great Britain.

Tree Planting: Schools

Lord Morrow: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Free Trees for Schools and Communities scheme run by the Woodland Trust to encourage children to plant native trees cannot operate in Northern Ireland, despite all of the tree species involved being certified as UK and Ireland-grown.

Lord Douglas-Miller: As part of the Windsor Framework, we have worked closely with industry to identify and lift the EU prohibition on movements to Northern Ireland for eleven priority species of tree: European beech, English oak, Sessile oak, Norway maple, Japanese maple, Sycamore maple, Field maple, Crab apple, Common apple, Hawthorn and two types of privet (wax leaf and delavey). In addition, the ban on Common hazel will also be lifted soon. An additional 26 species from other prohibited genera are currently under consideration for removal from the prohibited list. Many of those species are those included in the Woodland Trust tree packs. We have reached out to the Woodland Trust to discuss this matter further. Moreover, we continue to work with stakeholders to identify further species to be considered by the EU for removal from the prohibited list.

Department of Health and Social Care

Haemochromatosis: Research

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support research and development of treatments for patients with haemochromatosis.

Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Research is currently directly funding one ongoing study on haemochromatosis, and over the last five years, has funded infrastructure to support seven others.

Rare Diseases: Health Services

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure equitable access to specialised care and support for patients with rare diseases across England.

Lord Markham: In January 2021, the Government published the UK Rare Diseases Framework, providing a national vision for how to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases. The framework lists four priorities, collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which are: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. The principles of the UK Rare Diseases Framework commit the four nations to ensuring that any impacts on health inequalities are considered when developing action plans.Each year since 2021 we have published an England Rare Diseases Action Plan, with health equity highlighted as a focus area. On 29 February 2024 we published the third England Rare Diseases Action Plan, which is working to address these priorities. Several actions have been committed to in this year and previous year’s action plans, that relate to equitable access to specialised care and support for patients with rare diseases.

Alzheimer's Disease: Research

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase funding and support for Alzheimer's research to accelerate the development of effective treatments and improve early diagnosis techniques.

Lord Markham: The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia and has committed to double funding for dementia research, to £160 million per year, by the end of 2024/25. This will span all areas of research, including diagnosis and treatment of dementia, and more specifically Alzheimer’s disease.The Government has allocated up to £120 million to the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, which aims to speed up the development of new treatments through innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation.Alongside the mission, the Department, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is funding a range of research to accelerate the development of effective treatments and to improve early diagnosis techniques. This includes investing almost £50 million into the NIHR’s Dementia Translational Research Collaboration Trials Network. This will expand the United Kingdom’s early phase clinical trial capabilities in dementia, speeding up the development of new treatments, and funding to the Blood Biomarker Challenge which could make the case for the use of a blood test in the National Health Service, to support diagnosis of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Cabinet Office

Ministers: Pay

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a cap onthe combined total for ministerial salaries in any financial year.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 ministers have beenasked to forego a ministerial salary; and what were the reasons for those requests.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 a minister has foregone a ministerial salary at the request of the Cabinet Office.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 ministers have asked to forego a ministerial salary, either full or in part; and who were those ministers.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet OfficeThe Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of JusticeThe Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.

Department for Transport

Roads: Subsidence

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of risk of damage to public highwaysfrom subsidence caused by global warming; what is the current budget for repairs following subsidence; and what grants are available to private landowners for such repairs.

Lord Davies of Gower: Chapter 4 of the Third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Technical Report assesses the climate-related risks and opportunities to infrastructure in the UK. Part 4.8 of that document considers the risks to subterranean and surface infrastructure from subsidence. National Highways is responsible for the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the Strategic Road Network, funded by the Government in 5-year roads periods with objectives set out in Road Investment Strategies. The second Road Investment Strategy (2020-2025) includes action to enhance all-weather resilience of the strategic road network, to minimise the risk of incidents and their impact for road users. National Highways also reports under the adaptation reporting power of the Climate Change Act 2008 on what it is doing to check climate resilience against the latest Met Office Climate Projections and undertake actions to improve resilience across its network. The next round of adaptation reporting closes at the end of 2024. In respect of local roads, the Department is providing over £5.5 billion of highways maintenance funding between 2020/21 – 2024/25 for eligible highway authorities outside London and those receiving City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS). This funding is not ring-fenced, and authorities may choose to use it to maintain their network, including repairs to the highway following subsidence and actions to make networks more resilient to changing weather patterns. The Government has also announced that it will provide an additional £8.3 billion of reallocated HS2 funds over this year and the next decade to help authorities to transform their highway networks. The Department for Transport does not provide grants to private landowners for repairing subsidence damage.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Mortgages: Arrears

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that mortgages in arrears hit a seven-year high in the final quarter of 2023, what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) housing stability, and (2) homelessness rates.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government is closely monitoring levels of arrears and repossessions, which remain low by historic standards. Affordability assessment and stress testing of mortgage applications is helping ensure households do not move into arrears.Lenders representing over 90% of the market have agreed to our Mortgage Charter, which includes new flexibilities to help customers manage their repayments over a short period. This is helping to support vulnerable households.Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments in order to provide tailored support.The Government has also put in place measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans, protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, and the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS).

Ministry of Justice

Shoplifting: Sentencing

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the Sentencing Code with regard to shoplifting.

Lord Bellamy: We know there has been a worrying rise in shoplifting, which we need to address.Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 32% in the 12 months to September 2023. However, the number of people charged with shoplifting offences in the same period rose by 34%, showing that Police are heeding the message.The publication of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan, published in October 2023, includes a commitment to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel.Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database as standard using facial recognition technology to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.The plan also includes guidance for retailers on what response they can expect from their local police, as well as how retailers can assist the police by providing evidence to help ensure cases are followed-up.October also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership that will radically improve the way retailers are able to share intelligence with policing, to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. This will include development of a new information sharing platform and training for retailers.The Sentencing Code is a consolidation of existing sentencing procedure law. It brings together over 50 pieces of primary legislation relating to sentencing procedure into one single piece of legislation, in the Sentencing Act 2020. It includes general provisions relating to sentencing procedure, the different types of sentences available to the courts, and certain behaviour orders that can be imposed in addition to a sentence. Since the Sentencing Act came into force, it has been amended following changes to the law relating to sentencing procedure. The Code is not designed, however, to apply to specific offences.